


Requiem

by lisachan



Series: Tales of the Summer Palace [24]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23429473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisachan/pseuds/lisachan
Summary: Dimitri takes Miguel to see Matias' tomb, and they finally speak about how they died.
Relationships: Dimitri & Matias, Dimitri/Miguel, Miguel/Matias
Series: Tales of the Summer Palace [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/414045
Kudos: 1
Collections: COW-T - the Clash Of the Writing Titans, COW-Tverse & Polyverso





	Requiem

**Author's Note:**

> Writter for this year's COWT #10, W7, M1A, for which we had to write safe for work fanfics on the COWTverse characters.

They don’t talk much as they walk towards the graveyard. Miguel doesn’t know why – perhaps Dimitri believes he should be respectful of his grief, or he just doesn’t know what to say. They’ve talked a lot over the last few days, they’ve discussed many things at length, but some topics they didn’t even vaguely touch – one of them being Matias.

It wasn’t Dimitri’s fault, of course. Dimitri’s a clear person, he’s transparent. He made sure, with his words, his eyes, his attitude, that Miguel knew that he could ask about him, if he wanted. And Miguel wanted. But he _couldn’t_.

Miguel has lived a life full of happiness. He was blessed by the love of God while he was an archangel, and he was blessed with a companion that remained by his side for as long as he lived. He had Dimitri, before, during and after. But Matias is and forever will be a source of sadness for him. He will never be over the fact that hadn’t he tried to end the war with his ultimate sacrifice, he’d have probably lived. That Matias and him would’ve been together until the end. That them, together with Lupe, would’ve had a happy family. That he could’ve been a father to Langley. And he had none of that, instead, and he let it go the moment he let go of Matias.

The boy he was shunned from Heaven for.

They stop in front of the tomb and Miguel looks at the stone decorating it. It’s simple, white. There’s Matias name, only his name, his family name forgotten, inconsequential. His date of birth, his date of death. And an inscription. “Beyond the far horizon,” he reads, “When we’ll finally be together, where love will be eternal and life will last forever.” He smiles. It seems appropriate for him. “Did he ask for it?”

“No,” Dimitri shakes his head, moving closer to the stone and placing the bucket full of water next to it. “He asked for nothing. I chose it for him,” he says, as he wets an old rag with water and starts polishing the stone, taking dust and moss off it.

“Did you keep in touch with him? After I died?”

“We became close,” Dimitri answers, moving with the ease of a person who must’ve done this dozens of times, “He missed you a great deal. I was the closest thing to you that was left on the surface of this Earth. And he was the last piece of you who survived, for a long time. It was simply obvious we’d have searched for each other. That we’d have found each other.”

“Were you two…”

“Lovers?” Dimitri raises an eyebrow and studies him in silent judgment for a few seconds. “Not the way you’d commonly intend that. Sometimes he drank from me, over the years. Those were always intense moments. It didn’t last long, though. He didn’t outlive you for long.”

Miguel looks back at the tomb. He knows he’s got to ask. He just wishes it didn’t hurt so much. _Still._

“Don’t you want to know how did he die?”

“With all the fibers of my being,” he sighs, closing his eyes, “But I know the answer will damn me. So I hesitate.”

Dimitri can’t help but smile tenderly at him. He puts away the rag and walks closer to him, leaning into him to place a soft kiss on his temple. “My friend, you’re already damned,” he says.

Miguel chuckles. “Alright. Tell me. How did he die?”

“He attacked one of the Stick’s outposts by himself. He didn’t tell me he would, I didn’t even have time to say goodbye. He attacked alone. I think…” Dimitri sighs, “After losing both Lupe and you, he had nothing to live for. Cruz and I tried to keep him close, but he didn’t want us. He lived for his pain up until he could bear it, then, when he couldn’t anymore, he chose to end it the only way he could envision himself dying, in battle.”

Miguel lets out a laughter that’s already broken before it even slips through his lips. He covers his face with both hands, trying to hold back the tears. “My firecracker,” he says, “He was always a warrior, wasn’t he?”

“He was,” Dimitri smiles and cradles him into his arms. His wings spread naturally, and then they close around Miguel’s body, protectively. “But he wanted to rest, at his very end. He wanted to be with you again. That’s why I buried him by your side.”

“I’m sorry, Mati,” Miguel sobs again, pressing his hands against his eyes and then turning around to hide against Dimitri’s neck, “I’m sorry the spot next to you is empty now. But we’ll meet again. I don’t know how, I don’t know when… but we’ll meet again.”

Dimitri knows enough of this life, this world and the magic that keeps it alive, to know that nothing is impossible in his Land, if you want it enough.

So, as he hugs the man he loves the most in the entire polyverse, comforting him for a death he himself moved on from years ago through struggle and pain, he resolves that he will want Miguel and Matias to meet again just as much as Miguel wants it.

Perhaps, if both of them believe, it’ll happen.


End file.
